1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for guarding vehicles against nicks, scratches and dents and, more particularly to an improved protective panel that can be detachably mounted against the side door of a vehicle by magnetic means encapsulated in a protective housing retainably imbedded in the panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for protecting the sides of a parked vehicle from dents, scratches and dings are well known in the art. The damage that a vehicle normally suffers in this regard results usually from direct contact with an open door of an adjacently parked vehicle or an unarrested supermarket shopping cart. Plastic or chrome side strips or moldings that are already mounted on the sides of the vehicle when it arrives from the manufacturer or are added to the vehicle afterwards by the dealer or someone else are fastened to the vehicle either for the aesthetic value or as a protective mechanism. Many of these side strips or moldings are designed to give the vehicle a racier appearance, while other types of strips or moldings, usually much larger in size, are provided primarily to guard against damage to the side of the vehicle. Unfortunately, these side moldings are very often too insubstantial in their size or too poorly designed to offer any legitimate protection for the vehicle in this regard. And, because of the size differential among many of the vehicles on the roads these days, the placement of these strips or moldings on the vehicles are not always effective to prevent the damage from occurring. For example, a large or luxury type automobile may incorporate moldings on the sides of its doors that are positioned high above the point of contact of an opening door belonging to a smaller compact vehicle parked alongside.
Detachable door guards in the prior art consist of devices that can usually be purchased from a an automobile or truck dealer, an automobile parts store or, as is becoming increasingly more prevalent, from a car wash business with an auto accessories department. The prior art includes, though may not be limited to, the devices disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,979 to Swinton discloses a protective device that includes a main panel section and one or more side panel sections hingedly attached to the main panel. Magnets are provided to attach the panels to the side of the vehicle and additional means are used to secure the panels inside the door jam to prevent theft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,013 to Spears discloses a removable door guard comprising two or more light weight, elongated members joined together by an elastic cord or some other suitable mechanism. Hooks at the opposite ends of the elastic cords are used to attach the guard to the door(s).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,294 to Cooper discloses a protective bumper consisting of one or more elongated members with suction cups for mounting the bumper to the body of the vehicle. A longitudinal notch is formed along the interior wall to accommodate vehicle side strips or moldings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,015 to McNeil discloses a vehicle body protection apparatus comprising a resilient cloth covered foam rubber pad having a length generally greater than the length of most vehicle doors. A series of magnets are attached along the top and bottom edges of the cloth cover to hold the apparatus to the vehicle surface. Elastic loops are attached to each end of the cover to further secure the apparatus to a hook or some similar device protruding inside the front and back wheel wells.
Additional references disclosing related technology include U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,925 to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,695 to Norman II; U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,519 to Marshall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,092 to Pucci; U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,583 to Forbes; U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,773 to Settle; U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,767 to Barnett; U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,009 to Barnett and U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,027 to Boyd. These prior art devices have not been well received by the general public. Due to their lack of aesthetic appeal, their failure, in many instances, to adequately protect a vehicle from damage, the difficulty of their attachment to the vehicle's surface and/or the inconvenience involved in their storage, the devices of the prior art have not found the consumer acceptance they apparently sought to achieve.
The device of the present invention is a vast improvement over the prior art as it succeeds in overcoming the prior art limitations in a variety of ways. The device is extremely easy to handle and attach to the side of a vehicle due primarily to the use of a series of encapsulated magnets imbedded in the panel and mounted flush with the panel's interior surface. More specifically, the use of a magnet encapsulated in a generally tubular or conical shaped housing provides protection for the vehicle's painted metal surface against damage that could result from contact with the metal magnet and the means to permanently retain the magnet in the device of the present invention without the risk of the magnet coming lose and disengaging from the panel. Unlike so many of the complex devices of the prior art, the present invention can easily and quickly be attached to and removed from the side of a vehicle using only one hand in the process.
Other improvements of the present invention include utilizing the cellular polystyrene material used to form the panel component as a filler to pack the back section of each housing and any gap openings existing on either side of the magnet to ensure that each magnet is permanently fixed and held in an immovable condition inside the housing. The tapered end portions of the panel assist in maintaining the device securely against the side of a vehicle operating at high speeds on those rare occasions when the vehicle owner or driver may forget to remove and store the device before the vehicle is driven away.